Commutator brazing fixture



Oct. 11, 1949. -c3. F. COBB ETAL 2,484,333

COMMUTATOR BRAZING FIXTURE Filed Aug. 10, 1945 iii Patented Oct. 11,51949 coMMUTa'roa BRAzING FIXTURE Carroll F. Cobb and 'J oseph J. De Windt, Silverton,

and Stephen A. Weitlauf, Cincinnati, Ohio, asf signors to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware ' Application August 10, 1945, Serial No. 610,000

l 'Ihis invention relates in general vto improvements in brazing fixtures 'and more particularly to means for holding a commutator in the proper position with respect to a source of heat for braz- 'ing the commutator leads while maintainingr the commutator bars within a temperature range below the'temperature which would cause serious deterioration of the vcomrnut-ator insulation.

In the process of brazing armature leads to the bars -of a commutator 4it is important to bring the bar portion being brazedto the desired temperature in the shortest possible length of time while keeping the balance of the bar and 'the other bars at relatively low temperatures to prevent the commutator insulation from becoming heated at such temperature and for such length of time as to cause serious damage thereto. The heating source and the bar to be brazed should therefore be held lsecurely in the optimum relative position for the supply of heat to the bar for the necessary length of time. This condition is particularly important when heat is supplied to the commutator bars by induction of electric current therein. In addition, the commutator and especially the unheated portion 'of the bar being brazed should be cooled intensely to reduce the length of time during which the commutator insulation is heated above ambient temperature.

The above requirements are preferably met by utilizing a stationary source of heat and by rotatably mounting the commutator on a support which is in turn suitably pivoted to permit swinging the commutator in and out of heating relation with the source. The support is preferably provided with suitable means for guiding a iiow of cooling uid about a predetermined portion of the commutator and for supplying additional cooling fluid to selected portions of the commutator, including the bar being brazed. The support should be adjustable with respect to the heat vsource to adapt the device for the brazing of different sizes of commutators without thereby dis"- turbing the supply of cooling iiuid.y f It is therefore an object of the present invention zto provide a com-mutator brazing fixture insuring accurate application of heat tothe bar being brazed. n A

Another objectof the present invention is to provide a commutator brazing fixture providing for the selective cooling of the bar being brazed and of the otherparts of the commutator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide la commutator brazing fixture by means of which the point of kapplication of -heat ,to Athe 2 Claims. (Cl. 219--13) 2 i commutator may be yadj-usted without disturbing the supply of cooling iluid.

Objects and advantages other than those above set forth will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical cross section `of one embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial view in cross section taken along line II--II of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference, numeral 6 designates a commutator assembled with the Eassociated core 'I on a comm-on shaft 8. Each bar of the lconimutator is to fbe brazed to an upper lead and to the associated lower lead, the ends of which are disposed within a radial slot provided in the neck portion of each commutator bar as is -well known. To permit directly supplying heat to the lower lead during the brazing process, each lowerlead is preferably bent radially outward in axial alignment with the end of lthe associated upper lead, and it is of further advantage :t0 extend the bent end of the lower lead above the surrounding :commutator surface. Fig. 2 shows the commutator disposed for brazing to a oommutator bar 9, an upper lead l I and a lower lead I2, in the manner disclosed in a. copending applicati-0n ci Carroll F. Cobb, Edward F. Brill and John R. Guenther, filed August 6, 1945 `under Serial No. 609,186, now Patent 2,455,560, issued Dec. 7, 1948. The brazing operation is preferably eiected using las source 0f heat an inductor I3 which may be connected through aV switch I4 to any suitable source of a1- ternating current conventionally represented las =a synchronous generator I5.

To enable the operator to bring the different vcorrlmutator bars sequentially invheating relation with inductor I3, commutator B is vrotatably mounted on the bottom of a swingably supported `cup I6, shaft `8 then ext-ending vertically along the @axis of the cup. The cup may be made in any suitable manner, for example by welding a metallic shell Il to a rigid flat metal plate I8. Commutator 6 rests on plate I8 through the intermediary of a block I9 of any suitable material. Block I9 presents a horizontal top surface 2| having Isubstantially the same diameter as the lower end of commutator 6 and is provided with a bor-e 22 of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of shaft 8. Block I9 is provided with projections 23 integral therewith or separate therefrom for holding commutator 6 la short distance above surface 2|. A radial passageuis welded to plate I 8 and a second section of nexible hose 2l. A suitable piece of metal screening 28 may be disposed Ibetween shells I'I and 26 to retain pieces of brazing metal and other foreign bodies which might obstruct the drain.

Cup I6 is 'swingably mounted on a suitable base 29 lthrough adjustable means providing for movement of the cup in a plane perpendicular to shaft 8. More particularly, cup I6 is adjustably bolted or otherwise fastened to a lever 3U provided withv l a suitable operating handle 3l. Lever 30 is welded o1' otherwise fastened to a sleeve 32 mountu ed on base 29 through a shaft 33 and a pair of suitable ball bearings 34, 35. Shaft 33 is parallel to the direction desired for the axis of commutator 8 and shaft 8 and is therefore vertical when the 'shaft is to extend vertically from cup I6. Sleeve 32 may be raised or lowered by means of a handwheel 36 fastened to the outer race of bearing 34 and screwed on a threaded portion of shaft 33.

During the brazing operation the neck portion of bar 9 is heated to a temperature above the melting point of the brazing material, and it is generally impractical to avoid also heating the necks of the adjacent commutator bars to a slight extent. Heat thus supplied successively to the different bars being brazed is conducted through the bars and should be continuously removed during the brazing operation of the bar and for a substantial length of time after the completion thereof to prevent overheating of the insulation. For this purpose cooling water is admitted to cup I6 through hose 25 and ows through passage 24 and the passage dened by the end and peripheral surfaces of commutator 6 and shaft 8 on the one hand and the inner surfaces of block I9 and shell I'I on the other hand. At the same time, an additional flow of cooling Water is directed from hose 25 along the adjacent surfaces of block I9 and shell I'I located below bar 9 and is thereby directed along the peripheral portions of bar 9 and of the adjacent bars to intensify the cooling of such bars.

When the brazing of bar 9 is completed, the bar is moved out of heating relation with inductor I3 by causing lever 30 to swing about shaft 33. Commutator 6 may then be rotated within cup I6 to the necessary extent to bring another bar to be brazed into the position previously assumed by'bar 9. Lever 30 is then returned to the position shown to bring the selected bar into the proper heating relation with inductor I3. The operation is repeated for each bar of commutator 6 until all the leads have been brazed to the associated bars.

It will be apparent that any number of duplicate commutators may be brazed in succession in the device without requiring any new adjustment of the means supporting cup I5. When a commutator to be brazed has bars of a length different from the length for which the device is adjusted, lever is raised or lowered by turning wheel 36 to the necessary extent to bring the commutator bar to the proper height with respect to inductor I3. The adjustment of lever 30 does not disturb the supply ofA cooling water 4 to cup I6 and the cooling of the commutator therefore requires no attention from the operator beyond seeing that the suicient ow of water takes place through the cup.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that kvarious changes and modications may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

Itis claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

. 1. A device for brazing protruding armature leads to the bars of a commutator mounted on a shaft by means of an inductor which is fixed with respect to a base, said bars being in heat -conductive relation to `one another and said shaft, said device comprising a cup, means for rotatably supporting said commutator on the bottom of said cup comprising a block having a top area and a bore having a diameter greater than the diameter of said shaft and means for holding the end surface of lsaid commutator above said area with said shaft loosely coniined Within said bore to define an annular passage, said commutator rotatably mounted for successively moving the different said leads into a position adjacent said inductor with the bars of said commutator partly extending above said cup, means for swingably mounting said cup on said base for movement bringing a selected one of said leads from said position into heating engagement with said inductor and back into said position, a source of cooling fluid, and a pipe connected with said source and directing a substantial portion of the cooling iiuid from said source between said cup and said block and along the peripheral surface of one of said bars selected by rotation of said commutator and engaged by said selected one of said leads to remove heat directly supplied thereto by said inductor, said cup cooperating with said commutator to dene a passage continuing said annular passage for distributing another portion of said cooling iluid along the end and part of the peripheral surface of said commutator to remove heat transmitted by conduction from said one of said bars to the remainder of said bars.

2. A device for. brazing protruding armature leads to the bars of a commutator by means of an inductor which is xed with respect to a base, said device comprising a vertical pivot mounted on said base a predetermined distance from said inductor, a cup, a support for swingably mounting said cup upon said pivot at said predetermined distance from said pivot, a block for rotatably supporting said commutator on the bottom of Said cup for successively moving the different said leads into a position adjacent said inductor Aat said predetermined distance from said pivot with the bars of said commutator partly extending above said cup, swinging movement of said support bringing a selected one of said leads from said position into heating engagement with said inductor and back into said position, a source of cooling IiuidY connected with said cup, said block directing a substantial first portion of said cooling uid from said source along the surface of one of said bars selected by rotation of said commutator and engaged by said selected onekof said leads to remove heat supplied to said bar by said inductor, said block distributing a second portion of said cooling'uid from said source along the surfaces of the shaft and of 5 said bars conductively heated from said selected one of said bars.

CARROLL F. COBB. Nuggfl JOSEPH J. DE WINDT. 8963951 STEPHEN A. WEITLAUF. 5 1,123,080

REFERENCES CITED 2,034,413

The following references are of record in the 2,043,773 file of this patent: 21328594 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Dyer Oct. 17, 1899 Stone Aug. 25, 1908 Bowser Dee. 29, 1914 Butler Aug. 28, 1917 Plant Mar. 17, 1936 Rich June 9, 1936 Townsley Sep-t. 7, 1943 

